PRO FOOTBALL; Chrebet Returns From Injury to Hurt Patriots

The pleasantries of this family feud had been dispensed with early tonight, the back slaps and handshakes exchanged among the eternally intertwined teams. But then the muscling began, and the Jets showed that the end of the Tuna Bowl era may not mean the end of this passionate rivalry.

In what evolved into a blood feud of defenses, the Jets battled the team coached by the man who left them like scorned lovers. Patriots Coach Bill Belichick's defense held the Jets over and over, but then, Belichick watched the defense he left behind hold the Patriots offense while his new defense gave way.

The Jets, trailing by 12 points with 9 minutes 56 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, scored two touchdowns -- both on catches by Wayne Chrebet, what he said were the biggest catches of his career -- to win a thriller of a game, 20-19, and add even more fire to an already seething competition.

The victory lifted the Jets to 2-0 and they have the chance to take sole possession of first place in the American Football Conference East when they play Buffalo on Sunday.

''They played with a tremendous amount of guts and poise,'' Coach Al Groh said. ''I thought a few things as I walked off. It was my feeling before the season that this team had real competitive toughness. And I said something when we drafted John Abraham: that you better be able to get the quarterback on the ground if you want to be competitive.''

The Jets sacked the Patriots' Drew Bledsoe six times, five in the second half, including twice on the Patriots' final drive of the game. That desperation drive came after the Jets spread Belichick's defense.

Running back Richie Anderson made 5 receptions for 78 yards in an 85-yard drive that ended with Chrebet's juggling 2-yard touchdown catch that closed the Patriots' lead to 19-14 with 6:25 to play. Then, with offensive players waving towels to exhort the howling crowd, the Jets' defense, which had held the Patriots to just four field goals in the first half, held a bit longer.

The rookie defensive end Shaun Ellis sacked Bledsoe on third down with 2:42 left. So after a momentary scare, when Dedric Ward fumbled the punt return before it was recovered by the Jets, the Jets took over on their own 28-yard line. Vinny Testaverde, who had been stymied and frustrated much of the night, launched a 44-yard pass toward the left sideline and Ward, who was being covered by the former Jet Otis Smith. The pass was caught by Ward. After the two-minute warning, Testaverde, who would rebound from a dreadful start, took the snap and found Chrebet standing at the left orange pylon at the goal line. Chrebet somehow caught the ball in traffic and got his feet into the end zone with 1:55 to go for a 28-yard scoring play. Two plays, 72 yards, Jets lead.

''He's sick,'' safety Victor Green said of his former mentor Belichick. ''Knowing him, he feels as bad as anybody. Knowing him, they'll probably be in pads tomorrow.''

Curtis Martin's 2-point conversion attempt failed, but the Jets' defense -- which had kept the Jets in the game throughout the night while the offense spun its wheels -- held again. Ellis and his fellow rookie John Abraham sacked Bledsoe again, planting the Patriots on their own 26-yard line at third down with 1:38 remaining. Bledsoe would be sacked again, his sixth of the night, and the Jets could finally exhale. The curse of the Tuna was still on their side, even if Bill Parcells was no longer on their sideline.

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Testaverde, still rusty from a season lost to an Achilles tendon injury, was just 16 of 37, although he did throw for 281 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Groh stalked off the field at halftime, glaring at his players as he stomped toward the locker room with the Jets trailing by 12-7. He had plenty to be annoyed about. While his defense held the Patriots to four field goals, his offense was sputtering and his special teams were a nightmare. For the glass-is-half-empty crowd, this must have been a sure sign that Belichick, the prodigal coach, had harkened back to his defensive guru days to outsmart his former colleague and the man who ultimately replaced him as the Jets' head coach.

Nobody could have expected an offensive slugfest between two teams coached by defensive-minded coaches. Testaverde was under pressure and his line of vision was frequently obscured.

But the Jets' special teams were the difference in a half dominated by defense. The Jets allowed the Patriots to gain marvelous field position on three of its drives -- Troy Brown returned punts 51, 21 and 38 yards -- while the Jets' own kick returners failed to generate such results, with three drives starting at the 20-yard line. Starting deep in its own territory -- the best starting position was the 34-yard line -- the Jets' offense also misfired on its own. Testaverde was overthrowing receivers, failing to see open teammates downfield and watching as his receivers dropped balls. When this happened in the first half of last week's victory over Green Bay, the Jets simply handed the ball to Martin until a helmet made contact with his left knee and slowed him down. Martin was slowed tonight, too, and so the offense had little balance.

The Jets went three-and-out on their first drive, and the Patriots quickly moved the ball into position for Adam Vinatieri's first field goal. But Testaverde had his only highlight of the first half on his second drive, leading the Jets on a 74-yard, 12-play march that ended in a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Fred Baxter that gave the Jets a 7-3 lead.

But that was it for the offensive movement. On the Jets' first drive of the second quarter, after a second Patriot field goal, Testaverde threw a pass intended for Martin on the left sideline. New England's Antonio Langham stepped in front of Martin at the Jets' 38, snared the ball, then tiptoed down the sideline to the 14 yard-line.

Again, the defense held, and Vinatieri kicked a 30-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 9-7 lead.

The Jets went three-and-out on their next three drives, but were fortunate that the Patriots could muster little better. Bledsoe was battered by Tampa Bay's superior defense last week, but the Jets did not need to sack him repeatedly to limit him to just 90 yards passing on 10 completions, getting him just once.

At the half, the teams shared dismal offensive numbers: 140 yards total offense for the Patriots, 143 for the Jets.

More ominous, though, was that, while Testaverde was suffering with 6 completions in 21 attempts for just 94 yards, Martin was unable to pick up the slack, rushing for just 39 yards on 8 carries.